PhD Position Climate Adaptation and Health

Human greenhouse gas emissions are causing the climate to change at unprecedented rates and this change is partly irreversible. Especially in densely populated urban areas the negative health effects become more and more noticeable. Heath waves cause death rates to rise and car emissions cause lung diseases etc. Measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to counteract the effects of climate change can reduce health risks and enhance population health and well being. For example, green spaces may reduce heat stress and prevent flooding but also improve air quality, promote healthy behaviour and social interaction, and reduce stress and anxiety. Yet, the size and type of green space required in urban environments to achieve meaningful effects on physical, mental and social well being is not known. 

Your research will contribute to understanding of these complex mechanisms, specifically in the context of vulnerable urban areas. You will combine the expertise of different scientific fields (e.g., policy, health and behavioural sciences, engineering, economics) and of local practitioners and citizens to develop models. You will test how these models support design and evaluation climate adaptation measures that contribute to healthy neighbourhoods and local citizens’ well being. The Green Village at TUDelft campus and urban areas in Rotterdam and Dordrecht will be case studies.

You will join the Water Management department at TU Delft. The Water Resources section within this department focuses on drought, precipitation, floods and how water behaves in the atmosphere and beneath or on the Earth's surface. You will closely collaborate with the faculties of Architecture and the faculty of Technology, Policy Analysis and Management and with relevant research groups at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University Medical Centre.